This invention relates to semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to a new and improved semiconductor device incorporating a semiconductor element such as a power transistor, thyristor or the like together with a driving circuit.
The trend is for semiconductor devices incorporating semiconductor elements and other circuit elements to be modularized. When such semiconductor elements are modularized, the transistors and thyristors, as well as driving and protective circuits which have heretofore been provided in separate printed circuit boards, are incorporated into the same package. However, this results in the following problems:
Taking a power transistor as an example, although the transistor as a semiconductor element is resistant to heat at a temperature of 150.degree. C., a protective circuit for the transistor, such as a snubber circuit including capacitors, for instance, is resistant to heat only up to a temperature of approximately 100.degree. C. For this reason, if they are contained in the same package, the guaranteed temperature will have to be reduced and this will decrease the operating efficiency of the semiconductor element.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device which can be modularized without reducing the operating efficiency of semiconductor elements contained therein.
Another object is to provide a modularized semiconductor device having a high allowable temperature although it contains circuit elements having different allowable temperatures.